Doctor Who (39) 13:08: Legend of the Sea Devils

[Pyan]

Well, I've never like the Jodie Whittaker incarnation of the Doctor (not because of JW herself - just that I feel she never really had a chance with the series being steered the way that it was under Chibnall), but as a fan of the Sea-Devils I thought I'd give this a chance. I was ten-fifteen minutes into it, when it started reminding me of another old BBC series: Why Don't You Just Switch Off Your Television Set and Go and Do Something Less Boring Instead? , so I did.

Roll on the return of RTD, I say. Hopefully it will get be better, but IMHO, it can't possibly be worse. You can say what you like about the Eccleston/Tennant/Smith years, but at least they were interesting.

 

[Dave]

You and I have different views, and different mindsets. We rarely agree on our fiction tastes.

I don't understand this comment. I can't remember discussing Doctor Who with you before, or any other fiction. Like @Pyan I remember the Jon Pertwee, Sea Devils episode with some fondness (maybe not the Peter Davidson one). The science fiction wasn't rushed over to get on to some different story or some point to be made. I come at every Doctor Who episode as a blank sheet. I'm not a Chris Chibnall hater. As for my tastes, I can also read romantic fiction. I watched Gentleman Jack immediately before watching this (and it is far better written). So, if it were a genuine story of a romance between Yaz and the Doctor I'd watch that, but a date by the sea shore and at the bottom of the sea, and then the Doctor saying she can't, giving no reason, but admitting she was once married, that it is not. And I'm not saying that you aren't allowed to like it because I didn't like it, but I would quite like to know exactly what it was about the episode that made you love "every minute of it," because I don't see it as a matter of taste but rather of quality.

I also accept that it is made for children, but I don't think that is a reason for poor quality writing in a prime time TV show. There were things that made no sense at all and were not explained. Exploding cannonballs are not "hokum". Doctor Who was originally educational for children, but I guess that isn't part of the remit any more. However, it seems to have a cult following that can never see it do wrong, that allows it to turn this stuff out. I looked on Twitter to see what everyone is discussing about it, but it is all about the trailer of spoilers for the next episode that I deliberately didn't watch. Someone did complain that the TARDIS was taken off course by some magnetic McGuffin but had no problem immediately leaving to go to the past, but mostly it was, 'that was a great scene on the beach' or 'that was a great scene at the bottom of the ocean'. I'm not looking for a "high concept idea" every week, but it is this matter of style over substance that I don't like.

Some history to explain my earlier comments: When I first came to this forum (ASciFi which was later amalgamated with Chronicles) it had originally begun life as TalkStargate. This meant the site was very heavy on Stargate posts (and still is - if you go to the Stargate section of TV they are still there and it is a huge forum.) If you ever watched Stargate SG-1 you will know that Jack and Sam would often flirt and there was a undercurrent of a relationship that ran throughout the series. It was a small but humorous part of the whole story. However, there were some fans who were fixated on every small detail between the two characters. There was tons of fan fiction written about them together. They called themselves "shippers" for 'romantic relationship' and were obsessed by this. That wasn't the main story of Stargate SG-1 but it accounted for a large proportion of forum posts. That is what I am seeing about Doctor Who on Twitter.

 

[Matteo]

Maybe, I hoped (again), as I settled down to watch it, this one will be different. This one will be well-written and enjoyable.

But once again, my hopes were dashed. It was just poor. My wife actually fell asleep part way through.

And since @Dave mentions it, we also watched Gentleman Jack and that was much better written - though since some time has passed since the last series, I am occassionally havng to remember who is who and how they are connected.

 

[REBerg]

I enjoyed this episode, which I discovered accidentally last night while I was looking for another show.
I also questioned the exploding cannonballs, not to mention that they were somehow flung back at the senders. I didn't think about the electrified swordplay, but, along with the Sea Devils, anything goes in fantasy.
On the plus side, pirates and a sea monster! Yeah! The special effects were dazzling.
I've often been puzzled by Doctor Who plot paths; but in the end, I can't hold the show to the same standards that I would something like The Expanse. It would be a sad day for me if (or when) they pull the plug on the Doctor.

 

[nixie]

I got round to watching it earlier. I enjoy Jodie as the doctor but do feel the writing has let her down. This one I wasn't impressed.

 

[MemoryTale]

I have felt that the Chibnall era has been getting stronger, but this was a serious step back. Why bring a potentially complex antagonist like the Sea Devils back, only to use them as another generic "Kill all humans" villain. They could have given them a similar treatment to the Siluarians, and have opposing voices on either side at least trying to reason things out before breaking down into violence, and that was the thought that really annoyed me because Chris Chibnall wrote that episode!

I was also very distracted by the pirate. Like how did she sail that ship by herself? And how on Earth did she truss up Dan and the other guy all by herself? Did she get Dan to hold her sword while she sorted out the ropes and hauled him upside down, then borrow her sword back and do the same to Dan?

On the plus side the Sea Devils looked suitably badass.